India’s antitrust regulator fined 14 carmakers, including the local units of Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co., a combined 25.4 billion rupees (US$420 million) for stifling competition in the market for spare parts as the industry faces similar scrutiny in China, Bloomberg reported today. The fines were equivalent to 2 percent of the carmakers’ three-year average revenue in India, according to a Competition Commission of India order dated Aug. 25. The regulator also ordered the companies to provide spare parts and diagnostic tools to independent garages, and honor warranties on cars repaired by them after markups reached as high as 4,817 percent. The Indian penalties come at a time the auto industry’s bracing for the results of a similar investigation by Chinese authorities. At least eight carmakers have recently lowered prices in response to a probe by China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
